The Dark Liaison
by malachite157
Summary: - A strange force has come to destroy both Maximals and Predacons. And while it appears the transformers have the upper hand in the end, they don't realize what they're about to lose. Fourth in the Shades of Green series.
1. Default Chapter

**The Dark Liaison**

Part One

**By: **Sapphire  (aka Malachite157)

* * *

Cheetor could see lights coming down like a frenzy of stars falling from the darkening sky. The red glow of the sunset had almost melted beneath the horizon and a sense of excitement and dread came over him. He was flying high, feeling the cool winds wash over his body. Below him, Optimus was flying closer to the ground, with Dinobot running with raptor speed further back. 

"Cheetor to Optimus, I can see the anomalies. And there are other lights coming head-on from the north. I bet it's the Preds!"

"Probably. Be on your guard, Cheetor. Don't trust any 'truces' Megatron might appear to be offering. We learnt the hard way last time."

"Sure thing, Big Bot!"

He closed his comm. and barrel-rolled in the sky. He put his blasters up to maximum and sped off to the calculated landing zone of the anomalies.

Dinobot panted and snarled. He liked running, but only for a little while. He had a lot of stamina and he wasn't feeling too tired yet, but he really wanted to conserve his energy. He felt there'd be much conflict soon. There always was in these situations. He slowed his pace a little. Suddenly, his comm. crackled and jerked him out of his thoughts.

"Hey Dinobot! Preds ahead!"

"I read you, Cheetor."

Another voice came over his comm.

"Yo stinker! Me an' da love doves are comin' right behind ya! Is dis da fastest you can run, Lizard Breath?"

"Shut up, vermin!"

That was it! He quickened his pace considerably. Sure, Rattrap had an unfair advantage having wheels and blasters to propel him, but he wasn't going to give in to that rotten rat so easily!

"Forget...energy!" he panted, "I always have enough...for battle!"

* * *

Megatron took a more cautious approach. He was not surprised to see Tarantulas scuttling off and out of view in the distance. The treacherous spider might not have been aware of the fact that Megatron had spotted him, but that didn't matter, for now. Right now he was moving quickly but stealthily towards the anomalies, which were now bright and blaring in the dusk sky and nearly upon them. Aliens were powerful, he knew that, and he didn't want to meddle with them just yet. 

"Waspinator, hold your position. Let the Maximals be the guinea pigs."

"Yezz Megatron!"

Megatron stooped behind a boulder. There were only a couple of trees and the odd obelisk in this barren, dry wasteland. He stared at the incoming lights. There were six of them and they were almost-

The ground shook and Megatron lost his balance and fell. Lying on his back he could see the sky light up from the explosion and hear the roar in the distance. The ground continued to shake for some time and he decided to lie still until everything around him was, instead of fumbling about on unsteady feet. Eventually, the earth calmed and an eerie silence settled over the land. It was almost dream-like.

"Terrorize," he said softly. He transformed to his feet, and peered over the large boulder.

"Ahh..."

* * *

The shockwave was so immense that it ruptured an energon deposit deep below the ground not far from the Axalon. The resulting explosion caused an earthquake which rattled the foundations of the base. All power went out, the screens before Rhinox died and everything about him started cascading down. 

"Emerald! Get under the table-OOF!"

Emerald heard her Uncle's cry and dived beneath the table she'd been sitting sulkily on.

"Uncle Rhinox!" she wailed in alarm, but she could barely hear herself. The base trembled and groaned and then suddenly, everything stopped. The violent shaking ceased and the last few objects from the shelves and roof slid and fell.

A broken electrical cable spluttered in short, erratic sparks of light across the room, revealing Rhinox's form lying on the floor. She crawled over to him hastily.

"Uncle?" she murmured worriedly over him.

"Ow...."

"Uncle Rhinox, are you ok?"

"Hit...hard...by...something," he tried, turning his head painfully to look at her.

"Em..."

He fell into stasis lock.

Emerald had been taught enough by Rhinox to know that he had not suffered any serious damage. He'd been rendered unconscious by something heavy, and stasis lock had commenced while internal repairs got to work on the broken circuitry in his head. She sighed, wishing she could put him in a CR chamber, except that they were all smashed.

"Poor Uncle Rhinox," she sighed and knelt beside him mournfully. She felt so alone...and so afraid.

Then, an idea started to form in her mind, and she felt herself rising to her feet. There was no one to stop her from leaving! Why should she sit here in a broken base - she was useless here! She could be of some help to Optimus and the others out there!

"Time to test my wings!" she said bravely, although she was nervous. She made her way to the elevator shaft.

It was thoroughly broken.

"No matter; I'll just make like Optimus and take the roof-shaft!"

She flew up rapidly, calling: "Shaft doors open!"

It didn't occur to her that they wouldn't since the entire base computer was offline, until she smacked into it.

"OW!" She nearly plummeted down, but managed to regain her composure and hovered in the dark, feeling an enormous throbbing pain tear through her head.

"Dumb-doh!" she moaned. She looked up, wincing, and realized with a little smirk at herself that she'd hit the thing so hard, she'd knocked the hatch loose. She pushed it open and flew up, then landed on the roof of the Axalon. She needed to regain her wits...she was still seeing little stars.

"Ohhh...that was stupid. Now I know what Uncle Rhinox felt like..."

She raised her eyes, still soothing her head, and then saw a great white mushroom cloud rising up on the horizon.

"Primus! What in the world is that?!"

She was struck with awe, terror and a sense of being very small as she gazed at that cloud.

"Rattrap," she whimpered with a sudden surge of panic, and took to the air.

* * *

When the dust had settled, and the world had returned to silence, Rattrap finally felt the pain of his wounds. 

"What. A. Blast."

He groaned and got to his feet. He was glad that he had come in the second wave of troops because surely Dinobot and the ones further head would have taken more of a beating. The explosion was far bigger than they'd anticipated, and they were still a considerable distance from the crash area. Also, the speeding anomalies had quadrupled their speed in a sudden burst and rapidly hit the earth without warning. No one had time to prepare for it.

"Cheetor to Rattrap. You okay?"

"Yeah...I think so. Just got some nasty scratches on my side. Man, they sure burn...how about you, kiddo?"

"I was in the air when it happened. The winds from the mushroom cloud caused me to spin - I almost hit the ground, but I regained flight. There's a lot of smoke in the air, can you see anything?"

"Not from where I am. I'm moving in," Rattrap said.

He reverted to vehicle mode and warily moved towards the smoke. When he arrived at its perimeter (it seemed to be swirling and billowing like a ball over the ground) he met up with an extremely groggy and scarred Dinobot, and a worried Optimus. Airazor and Tigatron were coming up behind him.

Cheetor landed with a soft thud beside Optimus and looked to his leader.

"Well, what now?"

Optimus was silent, and then switched to his comm.

"Optimus to base, do you read?"

Static.

"Prime. The base is not responding. Probably interference from the anomalies."

Rattrap transformed to robot mode and rolled his eyes.

"Great. Now we can't even get any feedback from da Rhino as ta what he's learned about those...things."

The grey cloud was starting to fade and Airazor fancied, as she spied with her sharp eyes, that she could see darker forms standing within.

"Optimus," she said gently as she settled in beast mode upon the ground to his left.

"Look."

At first neither Optimus nor any of them could see anything. Then gradually, as the air cleared, six still forms could be seen. They appeared transformer in stature and shape.

"Get back," Optimus advised. He transformed to beast mode and very cautiously approached the figures.

When he was close enough as he dared, he spoke.

"I am Optimus Primal. We are peaceful and will not harm you, so long as you do not harm us. What is your business here?"

One of the shadows jerked in a sharp, static motion and glowing red eyes pierced its own shadow.

"We were some of your crew. Not all of the stasis pods were recovered - that is not because they were destroyed. It is because they were taken."

The voice had no gender, but it was deep and ringing and strange to their ears.

"And now you have returned to us...? But how?" Optimus ventured curiously.

"In body we have retuned. But not in mind or spirit. Prepare to be destroyed."

Rattrap hid behind Cheetor.

"That don't sound very friendly! I say we back off 'til we've actually got some sorta plan, Pop Op!" he called.

Optimus transformed to robot mode.

He put up his hands in defense. "We don't want to fight you! Please, don't start a battle between us."

Suddenly, all six of the forms began to move in long, slow strides towards them. Three males, three females. They all had powerful beast forms. A panther, a striped hyena, a Maned Wolf, a puma, a jaguarundi, and an ocelot.

"This shan't be a battle. It will be one-way annihilation," said the jaguarundi in a rough voice.

Optimus decided they were serious, and flew back to join his troops.

"Brace yourselves, we don't know how powerful they--"

He was cut short when a shot hit him in the back. Optimus was thrown forward, landed badly, rolled and finally came to rest with a gaping, smoldering hole in his stomach.

Airazor cried in dismay and turned suddenly to face the attackers. She opened fire without a second thought. A moment later, Airazor was lying in a crumpled heap not far from Optimus, and the rest were fleeing from a barrage of shots.

The six attacking transformers had incredible power. They all were walking calmly forward, firing as they came. They all had hand-held weapons _and_ eye beams to boot. The shots the Maximals fired at them seemed to bounce off harmlessly.

Dinobot dodged laser fire as he ran to the closest boulder. He dived over it and landed on something very hard and uncomfortable.

"Megatron!"

Megatron pushed Dinobot off him with a growl.

"Yes, traitor, it is I."

Dinobot leapt to his feet and whipped out his sword.

"I see you are bravely hiding here away from battle!"

"Sensibly hiding, I'd say," Megatron retorted. He gazed over the boulder briefly and watched the scattering Maximals.

"And your comrades are bravely running away!"

Dinobot sighed and lowered his eyes.

"With reason. We cannot fight such force...with...force."

"As I anticipated," Megatron said absently, rather unconcerned his enemy was but a sword thrust away from him. They both had bigger problems to deal with.

"They're hostile."

"You don't say!" Dinobot snorted. As much as he loathed Megatron, he felt a lot better to be behind this boulder with him than out there in the open with those six! Cheetor had carried Airazor off and Tigatron and Rattrap were hurriedly moving away with Optimus's limp form. Dinobot had run the other way and was now separated from his team. He could do little to help them, so he decided to stay put for now.

"Well, I suppose there's no harm in trying my plan A," Megatron said, transformed to robot mode and rose up in the air.

"Are you mad?!" Dinobot cried as the Predacon flew towards the six. He watched in amazement as Megatron flew directly above them, apparently without their notice, and then landed behind them.

The six turned to face him when he spoke and Dinobot stared incredulously as they lowered their weapons and appeared to with Megatron! A moment's panic washed over Dinobot has he envisaged Megatron allying himself with those bots...

However, the fear was broken when Megatron rather suddenly rose off the ground and flew at rocket speed over him. A torrent of laser fire followed him.

"Hostile indeed," Dinobot rasped. He heard Megatron yell: "Waspinator, NOW!"

From out of holes and behind rocks the Predaoncs revealed themselves, firing insanely at the six. However, Waspinator was nowhere to be seen.

The six attackers returned fire without hesitation and it was obvious that the Predacons weren't going to hold against them. Dinobot doubted in fact that the Maximals and the Predacons together could beat off such adversaries and he questioned Megatron's motives. His 'Plan A' was a flop, and this 'Plan B' looked pretty doomed to fail as well. Had Megatron not seen the bitter defeat the Maximals had quickly suffered?

Dinobot was still, trying to think what to do, when he noticed a small light coming from the distance. He narrowed his vision and realized it to be Waspinator, carrying something large and with difficulty. The wasp flew over the six, and was immediately shot at. He dropped his parcel and tried as best as he could to get away from them. Little did the wasp know that one of the missiles that hit him would actually save his life, as it tossed him yards away from a zone of great destruction. Dinobot watched the package fall and realized too late what it was.

The sack of raw energon plummeted towards the six, who instinctively shot at it.

* * *

Emerald saw Rattrap hurrying as fast as he could towards her, along with Tigatron. They were dragging someone...Optimus! 

She swooped down towards them.

Below, Rattrap stopped and spoke to Tigatron.

"Do you think ya can take him back ta base by yerself? I hate ta say it, but I'm real worried about choppuhface bein' out there alone. I'm gonna go back fer 'im."

Tigatron's gentle face was contorted with worry. He knew Cheetor would get Airazor back to base quicker, being able to fly, but he really wished he was with her right now. He turned to Rattrap.

"I'll be fine. I know how helpless you must feel. Go back and try to find him, but be careful!"

Rattrap nodded, spun around and sped forward. He didn't like to admit it, but Dinobot was his friend, in a weird way, and deep down he didn't want to see him get hurt. Or worse.

He could see the six attackers but they were firing upwards and hadn't yet noticed him. Maybe he could drive wide and avoid them. They seemed to be shooting at a Predacon flyer, which suited him fine.

"Rattrap!"

Rattrap slammed on his brakes and looked up. The Knysna lourie was making her way downward.

"Emerald, get outta sight!!" he yelled.

Emerald panicked and dived towards him, desperate to get to the ground since his tone of voice sounded so urgent. She was nearly there when there was a high-pitched bang, followed by a deafening explosion.

What happened after that, she couldn't remember. She had a faint memory of being flung, of her body being twisted and then nothing.

When she awoke, she had no idea how long she had been in stasis lock. She lay still, her eyes refused to open. She couldn't move. Her body was broken and she felt numb. No pain, surprisingly. Just numb.

"R..."

She coughed and sighed. She felt totally winded.

It was then that her body decided to give up trying to function and she fell back into stasis lock.

* * *


	2. The Dark Liaison: Part Two

The Dark Liaison

Part Two

**By: **Sapphire

* * *

Rattrap groaned and rolled over. He was getting sick of waking up with a headache after an explosion. He got shakily to his feet, and stared out. The land was swart and smoldering, and where the Six were, was now a large black crater. There was nothing left of them.

"Energon explosion. Nice," he said. He realized that if he transformed, then he would immediately be shocked with energon overload. The air was virtually crackling with it.

He remembered Emerald. He looked frantically about him. He found her lying, in beast mode, twelve meters away from him. He ran over to her.

"Emmie! Emmie baby, are you ok?"

"Oooh..." she grumbled and twitched, her eyes tightly shut. She was pretty beaten up and apparently in stasis lock. She was lucky she was flying in beast mode when the second explosion occurred.

He nuzzled her onto his back and started to make his way home.

"Why'd you have to come, Emerald? Now I gotta take you home and leave Dinobot out here...wherever he is."

He stopped and decided that calling for the over-sized lizard might help.

"DINOBOT! Where da heck ARE YOU"

You-you-you....his voice echoed. The following silence was cold and dead.

"Rattrap ta Dinobot, do you read?"

Static. Energon interference for sure.

"Aw, man! Dis really stinks," he muttered, but in truth he was feeling a fast-growing panic inside him. He didn't know if Airazor and Optimus were going to make it, Emerald was injured considerably and Dinobot was missing. Things were not good.

He started to make his way back to base, absently passing the crater, when he heard a noise.

He froze, his ears perking up. He sniffed the air and picked up a faint scent...of something familiar and yet not...

A small noise wafted on the air. Yes...to his right...towards...the crater?

He cautiously approached the rim of the crater, and looked down.

Nothing.

His eyes lifted and he stared across the crater to the other side. There was some steam rising from it, but even through it he could pick up a form lying on the ground.

"Dinobot?"

He carefully put Emerald down and then drove around the crater towards the shape, on the alert.

When he got there, he felt a quiver of shock and fear go through him. It was one of the six! The maned wolf, lying in robot mode, wracked with energon rays. Her arm was dislocated and she was covered in holes, her body was charred and ruined.

He squinted and looked closer at her twitching form, when suddenly her optics came alight.

He withdrew sharply.

She rolled her head to face him and lifted her hand.

"Help...me..."

Rattrap started shifting back slowly.

"No. You're the enemy!"

She whimpered and shook her head.

"Not...anymore. The...aliens...," she rasped, paused and then continued, "they...took my pod...possessed me! But the explosion...destroyed their influence...inside me. Please...you've got to believe me!"

Her voice became strained and desperate, breaking on her last words as sobs threatened in her throat. Rattrap stared at her, locked in her eyes. So much pain...

At that moment, a very strange feeling came over him. He suddenly experienced enormous pity for this broken thing on the ground and he genuinely believed her, against his common sense. Without even thinking about it, he put her onto his back and started to head towards base.

* * *

Emerald came to just as Rattrap was leaving. She saw him moving away with someone on his back and she let out a cry.

"Ajax!"

She used his old name by accident. It was more familiar and personal and she chose it subconsciously.

He stopped and turned towards her.

"Oh, Emmie!"

Emerald was not aware that he had forgotten her and did not understand the guilt in his voice. He drove up to her.

"Emmie, Emmie," he said softly.

"Rattrap...I can't move..." she nearly whispered. She was so sore and tired and very regretful about coming out here. She couldn't even see clearly who was on his back.

"It's ok Em, I just gotta figure a way ta carry you both back. I don't think I'm strong enough ta handle two...I'm damaged as well."

A voice came from behind them.

"That's not a problem."

Rattrap looked up in surprise and relief to see Dinobot stalking up to them in beast mode.

"Lizard Lips! You made it!"

"Indeed. Megatron's responsible for this second disaster, but I think he succeeded in destroying our enemy. That at least we owe to him."

Rattrap snorted.

"Not all of them."

Dinobot noticed for the first time the transformer on the rat's back.

"What are you doing?! She is an enemy!"

"WAS an enemy," Rattrap asserted. "The aliens manipulated da protoforms to their own designs, but Megs's explosion knocked their influence outta her system. She need's an R chamber."

Dinobot shook his head.

"She's probably lying! Finding a way to infiltrate our base!"

Rattrap snapped back so viciously and quickly, Dinobot was rather stunned.

"Why don't you watch it! You weren't there when I found her, so back off! I'm takin' her ta base."

Dinobot watched as Rattrap spun around on his wheels and revved up to leave.

"You take Emerald. And be gentle, she's hurt."

After that, he sped off, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

Dinobot shook out of his daze and snorted.

Picking up Emerald, he said: "What's bitten him! He seemed irrationally defensive over that...thing!"

Emerald coughed, letting Dinobot know she was in no condition to have a discussion.

He sighed, and headed back to the Axalon as fast as his aching legs would let him.

* * *

**Two Days Later:**

A soft warmth blanketed Emerald and she awoke from a deep sleep with no pain and no anxiety. This was the first time she'd woken up inside a CR chamber. Two days was a very long time to be in a CR chamber, but she didn't realize that she'd been so damaged she'd nearly died. However, Rhinox had managed to repair the internals well enough for the CR chamber to do the rest. The fact that her spark had had a brush with the Matrix was perhaps why she came out feeling so calm and peaceful. Her eyes opened and she was distantly aware of a beep and the hiss the chamber doors made as they opened.

She stepped out with a yawn and blinked.

"Emerald..."

There standing before her was Rattrap, his eyes wide, his face worn in concern.

She smiled shyly.

"Hello--"

She was cut off when he moved and embraced her. A little shock went through her, and then she relaxed, enjoying being close to him. He leaned back and sat on the control-room table and brought her with him. He was cradling her gently, silently letting her know how happy he was to see her back on her feet.

"I'm so sorry Emmie..."

She looked up into his eyes and gazed at him softly.

"Sorry? Why? It was me who did the stupid thing. I came out when I shoulda stayed with Uncle Rhinox."

He stared at her sadly, an unreadable emotion stirring deep within his eyes. She didn't understand why he looked so guilty, but she was so wrapped up in the tenderness of the moment, that she didn't think too much of it.

He smiled and pulled her closer. She blushed when he gently kissed her on her head and rocked her slightly.

"Aww..." he sighed.

She grinned and closed her eyes and hugged him, feeling immensely safe and happy, and at the same time a little nervous and confused. This was what she wanted. She wanted to be closer to him, but now that she was, she found herself wondering what to say and do. She wanted to say...

He released her from his arms and folded them, looking at her with adoration.

...that she loved him.

"You'd better go find yer Uncle. He's been so worried 'bout you."

She stared at him dumbly before what he said sunk in, and then she nodded slowly.

"Ok..." she turned and left, her mind a whir of emotion, her body tense and uneasy.

Did he.... Was he being more fatherly? Did he cradle her like a child, like someone he cared about and felt responsible for?

Or did he love her for who she was?

She didn't know and she wished she did. Because at that moment she realized that something had changed inside of her. And she had finally realized what that change was.

She was in love.

* * *

At roughly the same time, another CR chamber door was opened, but this time it was in a lair far away from the Maximal base.

Tarantulas stared at the person emerging from the chamber.

"You owe me your life and your allegiance," he said flatly at the being.

She stretched her forelegs and yawned. She shook herself, blinked and then transformed from her striped hyena beast mode to robot mode.

Her body was black except for her black and white striped fir that covered her back and lined her sides and arms. A tail swished from side to side and long, black and white hair flowed from atop her dog-like face. She had glowing violet optics and her beast head covered her torso. She grinned, baring her pearl white teeth that glinted in the gloom of Tarantulas's lair.

"So I do. I asked that you revive me in return for my allegiance. You have done your part, and I shall do mine," she said. Her voice was rich, smooth and dark.

Tarantulas nodded eagerly.

"Yes. And what a fine specimen of the alien's power you are! A valuable asset to me. Are you still capable of the firepower you had previously?"

She drew a gun that was strapped to the upper part of her left leg.

"Oh yeah. I'm still half-alien, even though their control over me is less. I still retain the power they gave me. Fully healed now, thanks to you, I am more than able of taking out a considerable number of your enemies."

Tarantulas rubbed his claws together in glee.

"Very good, yes yes! I assume you might be able to enlighten me with some of the aliens'...technology?"

She smiled darkly.

"I know more than you, if that's what you're hinting at. Allow me to demonstrate my knowledge."

Tarantulas switched on his computer and pulled out a chair for her.

"Demonstrate to your heart's content, my dark liaison," he jeered.

She sat down and eyed the computer hungrily.

"Anything to repay you, my twisted friend."

And so began an alliance unbeknownst to the Maximals and Predacons, and seeds of evil were planted on the earth despite the explosion which took out only four of the six. One had genuinely allied herself with Tarantulas, the other with the Maximals.

Only the latter she, was not so genuine.

* * *


End file.
